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Getting Down To Facts
California's low-income children are entering kindergarten already at a disadvantage
EdSource writer John Fensterwald interviewed Sean Reardon (pictured)
and Deborah
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New findings on early education from the
Getting Down to Facts research project with Sean Reardon and Deborah Stipek
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Stipek, professors at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, about how early education fits into an important new research project on California public education, Getting Down to Facts II, a follow-up to a similar effort a decade ago.
Click the play button on the image at right to view the 5-minute video.
One key finding: "Kids in middle-class and lower income districts have lower levels of kindergarten readiness than their peers around the country," says Reardon. In some cases, these students enter school as much as a year behind.
Furthermore, says Reardon, "
There are very few districts where kids make up a whole year of learning in 5 or 6 years. That suggests that it's not the public schools, really, that are responsible for the low test scores, it's that kids are not getting to school with high levels of readiness and even though they are learning at a good rate as they go through school, they're never catching up to their peers around the country."
Also in the video, Deborah Stipek discusses some of the causes of these gaps, including the significant challenges facing California's preschool and child care systems.
You can also read a summary of the findings of the study, on early education and other topics at this link.
Or, go to EdSource's infographic summary of the study's major findings and click "Facing Early Education" on the left-hand column
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California's early education system: "complex, unequal and poorly designed for improvement"
In a commentary for EdSource, Susanna Loeb (pictured), principal investigator for the Getting Down to Facts project, gives her perspective on the research project's findings.
"While California has seen meaningful gains in student achievement and reductions in some disparities across groups, achievement gaps are still striking and larger than in the rest of the nation. The education system itself perpetuates those gaps, as evidenced by the unequal distribution of qualified and experienced educators across schools. At the same time, many of the disparities across groups are evident when children enter kindergarten, which points to the need for high-quality early childhood education. Currently, California's early education system is complex, unequal and poorly designed for improvement."
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Early Education Reports from EdSource
Special Report: Gaps in California law requiring schools to test for lead could leave children at risk
Governor Brown has recently signed into law
AB 2370,
requiring California day care centers to test their drinking water for lead and train teachers in how to prevent lead exposure.
But in the K-12 system, gaps in a law requiring schools to test their drinking water for lead could leave children vulnerable to the toxic metal.
The law, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last October, puts California among only seven states and the District of Columbia nationwide that require schools to test their drinking water for lead.
Thousands of schools across the state have already tested the water flowing from their drinking fountains, sinks and other sources.
But California's law establishes a limit for lead in drinking water that is far too lenient, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a national pediatricians' group.
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Newsom's 'cradle-to-career' education pledge will require sweeping changes in California
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, California's likely next governor, is calling for an all-out assault to change the state's educational outcomes, one that starts before birth and extends through school, college and into the workplace.
"Our role begins when babies are still in the womb and it doesn't end until we've done all we can to prepare them for a quality job and successful career," he said.
Among Newsom's proposals include expanding pre-natal care, introducing universal preschool for 4-year-olds, and starting college savings accounts for every kindergartner in the state. He calls the approach the "California Promise."
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Parent involvement in early years grows with help from community groups
In recognition of the importance of involving parents in their child's education as early as possible, community-based organizations in California have developed a range of strategies to increase parent engagement long before a child enters kindergarten.
Unlike California's K-12 public school system, not all programs that serve infants and toddlers have a formal system in place to engage parents.
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Baby and toddler storytime can create a lifetime love of reading
On a recent weekday morning, librarian Annabelle Blackman stood in front of a room full of young children at the Cesar Chavez Public Library in Oakland, Calif., singing a children's rhyme and swaying from side-to-side. Her performance was more than mere entertainment; it was part of her weekly summer storytime that is designed to promote early literacy for infants and toddlers.
At a time when youth are increasingly tethered to electronic devices, Blackman and other librarians continue to promote the value of books by engaging children long before they become formal readers.
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Jeff Bezos announces plan to spend $2 billion to help educate poor children with new network of preschools
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie have announced that they are forming the Bezos Day One Fund, which will support a network of high-quality, nonprofit, free preschools through a new organization: "The Day One Academies Fund will launch and operate a network of high-quality, full-scholarship, Montessori-inspired preschools in underserved communities. We will build an organization to directly operate these preschools " said Bezos.
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Kids struggle to read when schools leave phonics out
Hechinger Report's Emily Hanford looks at research showing that the science of brain development is not being incorporated into reading instruction.
"The prevailing approaches to reading instruction in American schools are inconsistent with basic things scientists have discovered about how children learn to read," she writes. Kids must be taught how to connect sounds with letters but phonics instruction has fallen out of favor in many schools.
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